Your daily vegetarian recipes

Sakkarai Pongal | Easy Temple style Sweet Pongal

Sakkarai Pongal | Sweet Pongal is a popular South Indian Festival sweet variety made with rice, moong dal, jaggery and ghee. It is made commonly in South Indian homes during festivals especially during Pongal (Tamil festival in January) and popular menu in South Indian restaurants and also famous prasadam (offering) in temples. Traditionally it is made in brass pot on stove top on the occasion of pongal; but if you do not have brass pot, you can easily make it in pressure cooker or even a pan. Hot Sakkarai pongal with ghee is a heavenly comfort food in Tamil Nadu. Come, let’s see how to make this perfect and tasty recipe at home in pressure cooker with easy method and step by step pictures.

Ingredients

Edible camphor – a tiny piece in the size of a mustard seed (optional)

Water – As needed

Directions

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan in medium flame and roast cashew nuts and raisins until golden. Transfer only the cashew and raisins to a plate and let the ghee remain in the pan.

Roast the moong dal in the same pan for 2 to 3 minutes in medium flame until golden and aromatic.

Add rice and roasted moong dal to the pressure cooker or the vessel to place inside the cooker and add 2.5 cups of water to it.

Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles and after the pressure releases by itself, open the cooker and mash the rice and dal. (If it is too dry, add 1/4 cup water and mash)

Powder or grate the jaggery and add to a pan and add water just to immerse it and heat it to dissolve completely. Filter the jaggery to remove the impurities.

Add the rice and dal to the cooker directly or to a pan and add the filtered jaggery, cardamom powder, pinch of salt and edible camphor (if adding) and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water if the mixture is too thick.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes in medium to low flame and add ghee 1 tbsp at a time and mix well.

Finally add the cashew and raisins and switch off. It will thicken on cooling. Delicious and heavenly Sakkarai Pongal is ready to eat.

Notes

If you feel that the sweetness is not enough, you can add 1/4 cup more jaggery or sugar (I feel that adding sugar makes it tastier and can be added directly to the pongal but jaggery needs to be dissolved in water and filtered before adding)

Adding a pinch of salt enhances the sweetness of the sakkarai pongal.

Edible camphor adds temple flavour to the sakkarai pongal. Do not add more than the mentioned quantity as it will spoil the flavour and impart a strong smell and taste. It is totally optional to add; I don’t add it.

How to make Sakkarai Pongal?

1. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan in medium flame and roast cashew nuts and raisins until golden. Transfer only the cashew and raisins to a plate and let the ghee remain in the pan.

2. Roast the moong dal in the same pan for 2 to 3 minutes in medium flame until golden and aromatic.

3. Add rice and roasted moong dal to the pressure cooker or the vessel to place inside the cooker and add 2.5 cups of water to it.

4. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles and after the pressure releases by itself, open the cooker and mash the rice and dal. (If it is too dry, add 1/4 cup water and mash)

5. Powder or grate the jaggery and add to a pan and add water just to immerse it and heat it to dissolve completely. Filter the jaggery to remove the impurities. Add the rice and dal to the cooker directly or to a pan and add the filtered jaggery, cardamom powder, pinch of salt and edible camphor (if adding) and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water if the mixture is too thick.

6. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes in medium to low flame and add ghee 1 tbsp at a time and mix well.

7. Finally add the cashew and raisins and switch off. It will thicken on cooling. Delicious and heavenly Sakkarai Pongal is ready to eat.